desolate

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others. alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.

• • everyone needs to be alone sometimes

solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course

• • glorying in the calm of her solitary life

but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

• • left solitary by the death of his wife

lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

• • felt lonely and forsaken

lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

• • an only child often leads a lonesome life

lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.

• • a lone robin pecking at the lawn

forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

• • a forlorn lost child

desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

• • desolate after her brother's death

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort. dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

• • dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

• • a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

• • the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

• • gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

• • a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

• • a desolate outpost